The Science of Wisdom Tooth Extractions: Everything You Need to Know

What Are Wisdom Teeth?

They are the last molar teeth to erupt in an adult’s mouth. Wisdom teeth begin to erupt between ages 16 to 25. These four molars grow at the furthest corners of the jawbone on both arcs.

Why Do Some People Need to Have Their Wisdom Teeth Extracted?

Wisdom tooth extractions in Flower Mound, TX, are prevalent for adult treatments. These last molars to grow can cause many oral problems when they erupt improperly. If you want to determine when to remove wisdom teeth, consider the following factors that necessitate wisdom tooth removal:

1. Impacted wisdom teeth – occur when a wisdom tooth erupts in the wrong direction, thus remaining partially or wholly stuck underneath the gums. Such a tooth causes gum swellings and reddening, and jaw pain.
2. Decayed tooth – like the rest of your natural teeth, wisdom teeth can develop cavities. The stakes are higher because they are hard-to-reach areas in your mouth. Therefore, you may not get to properly clean your wisdom teeth when you brush and floss the rest of your teeth.
3. Crowding – is an oral problem typical when patients have limited spaces in their jawbone. Therefore, when wisdom teeth begin to erupt, they overlap and push against the adjacent teeth. Various complications can arise due to mouth crowding, including an increased risk of dental cavities.

How Is a Wisdom Tooth Extraction Performed?

At Smile Craft Dental, tooth extractions vary. Some are simple procedures, while others entail intricate surgeries. Ideally, a simple tooth extraction procedure would involve a dentist in Flower Mound rocking the tooth back and forth until it loosens from the jaw socket.

However, when extracting wisdom teeth, the protocols are a bit different. On multiple occasions, dentists have to cut open the gums to expose the bone tissue underneath that may be blocking access to the tooth. This treatment protocol is common for removing impacted wisdom teeth. Further, the dentist may need to break down the tooth into small portions to extract it. It often happens with stubborn problematic wisdom teeth. A typical wisdom tooth extraction procedure should take around 45 minutes to complete. It only takes longer if there are other oral complications to address.

Will the Procedure Be Painful?

Any tooth extraction procedure will cause discomfort as the tooth detaches from the jawbone. Therefore, dentists use local anesthesia to numb your mouth before an extraction procedure. Further, dentists employ sedation dentistry to calm and relax your body during the extraction surgery. It is more common when extracting wisdom teeth than other teeth. Fortunately, with local anesthesia and sedation dentistry, you will not experience any pain during the extraction process.

What Can I Expect After Having My Wisdom Teeth Extracted?

A big part of your extraction procedure will be the recovery period. You will have to make several adjustments to support speedy healing and recovery. Immediately after your surgery, you cannot eat anything until numbing wears off. It is a precaution to prevent you from accidentally biting and hurting yourself because you can feel your mouth. Some factors to anticipate after wisdom tooth extraction are:

1. Swelling – your gums, cheek, and even throat will swell post-surgery. Inflammation is a body’s natural response to trauma.
2. Pain, soreness, stiffness, and bruising – at the extraction site and the surrounding areas. The pain might even spread to other body parts like your neck, ear, and head.
3. Bleeding – it will be prominent on the first three days after surgery. However, placing clean gauze over the wound stops the bleeding, allowing your body to form a blood clot over the wound. However, during the first week of recovery, you will still notice streaks of blood in your saliva.
4. Fatigue, nausea, and body fever – some patients experience these symptoms during the first 72 hours of recovery.

What to Do to Ease Recovery?

Generally, all the symptoms should improve as you heal. Many of them disappear between 7 – 10 days after your extraction surgery. However, the following tips can help you improve your comfort during recovery:

1. Take prescribed medication to alleviate pain and swelling.
2. Eat soft foods only – while avoiding acidic and spicy foods, avoiding aggravating your wound.
3. Cold compress to alleviate pain and swelling.
4. Rest – to allow your body to focus on healing.
5. Keep your head elevated to avoid blood pooling in your head.
6. Keep your mouth clean to prevent infections.